Trump’s bullying on the 14th Amendment isn’t working as planned

When President Trump returned to the White House last year, he made it clear in many ways that he was determined to do whatever he wanted without regard for the law or the Constitution.  

One was his first-day executive order claiming to eliminate birthright citizenship, a core constitutional principle enshrined in the 14th Amendment, adopted after the U.S. Civil War: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”  

For more than 150 years it has been widely understood, and repeatedly confirmed by courts, that people born in the U.S. are American citizens, with a few very specific exceptions like children of foreign diplomats or invading armies. 

In our country, citizenship doesn’t depend on who your parents are or where they came from. It’s part of what makes America, America. It’s part of the Constitution. It is supported by two-thirds of Americans. 

Trump doesn’t like what the Constitution says: that all children born here are citizens. There’s a process for changing it, but Trump doesn’t have the patience or discipline for that kind of work. So instead, he pretended he could alter the Constitution by decree. This “it’s the law if I say it is” attitude is why “No Kings” is the theme of pro-democracy rallies that have drawn millions of Americans to events in every state. 

Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments on the constitutionality of Trump’s order. Based on the justices’ questions, most observers believe Trump is........

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